Royal Mail says about 17,000 items a week were not clearing Newbury Delivery Office before changes seven weeks ago. It is now 2,900. Where it says it fixed problems.

Mail left sitting at Newbury’s delivery office has fallen sharply, Royal Mail has told the town’s MP.

Before changes made about seven weeks ago, around 17,000 items a week were not clearing Newbury Delivery Office. That figure is now 2,900, a fall of about 83%.

Lee Dillon MP set out the figures in an update on his website on Friday 23 October, after meeting Royal Mail about delayed and missed post. They are Royal Mail’s own figures, as given to him. Royal Mail has not published them, and they do not say what the changes were.

The streets Royal Mail says it has fixed

Residents had complained to the MP about particular areas. Royal Mail told him “changes have been made to address the problems raised” in:

  • Nightingales
  • Boundary Road
  • Calard Drive
  • Scrivens Mead
  • Kintbury

Nightingales and Boundary Road are in Newbury. Calard Drive and Scrivens Mead are in Thatcham, and Kintbury is a village about five miles west of Newbury.

Mr Dillon also said his office had struggled to get answers to some complaints. The local Royal Mail team agreed to raise that internally, he wrote.

The national picture

The local improvement comes against a poor national record. Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for missing both its delivery targets in 2024/25:

Service Target Achieved in 2024/25
First Class, next working day 93% 77%
Second Class, within three working days 98.5% 92.5%

The MP says Ofcom has since opened a further investigation into Royal Mail’s performance in 2025/26.

The service itself has also changed after an Ofcom review. First Class letters are still delivered six days a week. Second Class letters can now be delivered on alternate weekdays, so a gap of a day between Second Class deliveries is allowed and is not a fault.

What it means for you

If your post is still late or missing: complain to Royal Mail through its complaints process. You get a reference number, and the complaint can be escalated if the answer does not satisfy you. Keep the reference: it is what the MP’s office will ask for.

If the problem keeps happening on your street: tell Mr Dillon’s office as well, through his website. The five areas above were fixed after residents gave his office specific examples.

If you are waiting for something urgent, such as a hospital letter or a bank card, ask the sender whether it can come by email or by tracked post.

Sources